[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 161 (Wednesday, August 20, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44274-44276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-22071]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5878-5]


Brownfields Showcase Communities

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Solicitation of statements of interest from communities 
interested in being designated as Brownfields Showcase Communities.

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SUMMARY: Participating Agencies Programs within the following Federal 
agencies are participating in the selection and implementation of the 
Brownfields Showcase Communities: Department of Agriculture, Department 
of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department 
of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of 
Housing and Urban Development, Department of the Interior, Department 
of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of Transportation,

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Department of the Treasury, Department of Veterans Affairs, General 
Services Administration, Small Business Administration.

Background

    Brownfields are abandoned, idled or underused industrial and 
commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is complicated 
by real or perceived contamination. The Brownfields Initiative was 
launched to empower States, local governments, and other stakeholders 
in economic redevelopment to work together to assess, clean up, and 
sustainably reuse brownfields. Communities have asked for more 
interaction among all levels of government, the private sector, and 
non-governmental organizations. In response, Federal agencies have 
joined together to strengthen and improve their collaborative efforts 
to clean up and reuse contaminated property.
    A partnership of Federal agencies with interests in brownfields 
redevelopment has been formed that will offer special technical, 
financial and other assistance to selected communities. These 
communities will be called Brownfields Showcases Communities and will 
be models demonstrating the benefits of focused attention on 
brownfields. The Federal partners plan to designate ten Brownfields 
Showcase Communities, distributed across the country, varying by size, 
resources and community character. The Brownfields Showcase Communities 
project will be the centerpiece of the Brownfields Initiative and will 
provide a pattern for future efforts.

Goals

    The goals of the Brownfields Showcase Communities project are to:
     Promote environmental protection and restoration, economic 
redevelopment, job creation, community revitalization, and public 
health protection, through the assessment, cleanup, and sustainable 
reuse of brownfields;
     Link Federal, State, local and non-governmental action 
supporting community efforts to restore and reuse brownfields; and
     Develop national models demonstrating the positive results 
of public and private collaboration in addressing brownfields 
challenges.

Benefits

    A community will receive the following benefits from being 
designated as a Brownfields Showcase Community.
     National visibility for a community's brownfields efforts;
     Coordinated delivery of technical and financial support 
from participating Federal agencies. Participating agencies and 
programs will vary for each Showcase Community depending upon the 
particular Showcase's needs and plans. For example, an urban Showcase 
Community might be served by different programs and resources than a 
rural community;
     Financial assistance, grants and cooperative agreements 
from participating agency programs subject to the requirements of those 
programs; and
     Staff support in the form of a Federal employee assigned 
to each Showcase Community to assist with coordination and 
implementation activities.

Structure of the Statement of Interest

    To be considered for selection as a Brownfields Showcase Community, 
interested communities should submit a statement of interest that 
includes the following information:
     Proposal title;
     Location: city, county, and state of the Showcase area;
     Applicant identification: the name of the project director 
of the Showcase project;
     Contact Name/Title/Organization;
     Contact Phone/Fax/E-Mail;
     Name and contact information of the representative of the 
appropriate governmental subdivision (Mayor, County Executive, Tribal 
President) if different from the project director;
     Date submitted: the date when the proposal is postmarked 
or sent to EPA via registered or tracked mail;
     Proposal Overview: explain how designation as a 
Brownfields Showcase Community will help the community meet its 
objectives and will advance the Brownfields Showcase Community goals; 
and
     Related Designations: identify whether the applicant or 
the area for the proposed Showcase Community project is designated as a 
Federal or State Brownfields pilot, a Federal or State Empowerment 
Zone, Enterprise Community or other special economic area.
    Statements of Interest are limited to two pages. Supplemental 
materials such as appendices, maps, records, etc., will not be 
considered during the initial screening phase of the selection process. 
All communities, or regional groupings of communities, are eligible for 
consideration as a Brownfields Showcase Community. Previous designation 
as an EPA brownfields pilot is not a requirement for consideration, nor 
are such communities precluded from applying. Statements of Interest 
will be accepted from any party, but must be submitted in partnership 
with a governmental entity to be eligible for consideration.

Selection Process

    Selection of the Brownfields Showcase Communities will be done in 
two phases. During Phase I, interested communities are invited to 
submit two-page Statements of Interest which describe how the 
community's designation as a Showcase Community will advance the goals 
of the Showcase Communities project as described above. For example:
     A community with well-defined brownfields problems that 
can be addressed effectively through environmental cleanup and 
sustainable reuse is more likely to be considered as a candidate 
community than a community that suspects that there are brownfields 
problems in their jurisdiction that may require attention;
     A community with an established network of working 
relationships among Federal, State, and local governments, and other 
public and private stakeholders is more likely to be considered as a 
candidate community than a community which is just beginning to create 
these types of relationships;
     A community that has begun preliminary work such as 
cleanup and redevelopment planning, securing private investors, and 
exploring public financial opportunities is more likely to be 
considered as a candidate community than a community that has just 
started to address its brownfields issues. Within two years after 
designation, a Brownfields Showcase Community should be able to 
demonstrate success in dealing with cleanup and reuse issues.
    The Showcase Communities Selection Board, which represents the 
participating Federal agencies, will evaluate the Statements of 
Interest. It will screen the applications to create a list of 30 to 40 
candidate communities which will then be invited to move into Phase II 
of the selection process.
    During Phase II, the 30 to 40 candidate communities will be invited 
to submit ten-page proposals which more fully describe their 
brownfields efforts. At that stage, communities will be encouraged to 
submit supporting materials which demonstrate the breadth of support 
for their application within the community. The Showcase Communities 
Selection Board will then evaluate and select the ten Brownfields

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Showcase Communities, using the detailed criteria listed below.
    1. Brownfields Potential: Describe the brownfields that exist, or 
are perceived to exist, in the community and that have reasonable 
potential for environmental restoration and economic reuse in the near-
term.
    2. Community Need: Describe how this is an area which has social 
and economic conditions which would benefit from Federal assistance for 
brownfields cleanup and redevelopment.
    3. Local Commitment: Describe the degree of local commitment to 
brownfields cleanup and redevelopment including existing community 
efforts and investment of community resources.
    4. Federal, State, and Local Partnerships: Describe the Federal, 
State, and local agencies and organizations participating in the 
community's brownfields activities, including other programs and funds 
available for brownfields activities.
    5. Strategic Planning: Describe the extent to which the brownfields 
strategy is part of a larger redevelopment strategy that will link 
brownfields cleanup to economic redevelopment strategies, job creation, 
increased environmental protection, and sustainability.
    6. Management Capability: Describe prior experience or knowledge in 
managing similar redevelopment, cleanup, and community participation 
activities. Also describe what specific planning and programmatic 
requirements have been met for Federal financing programs anticipated 
for use.
    7. Environmental Justice: Describe the extent to which low-income, 
minority, and other disadvantaged communities will participate in the 
development of community brownfields redevelopment plans.
    8. National Replicability: Describe how the community will serve as 
a model for other similarly situated communities in addressing 
brownfields redevelopment.
    Communities that are invited to submit Phase II proposals should 
respond directly to these criteria in their proposals. Further 
application requirements and guidelines will be provided to the 
candidate communities to assist them in preparing their application. 
Note that in Phase I (the initial Statement of Interest) of the 
selection process, interested communities should consider the detailed 
criteria, but do not have to respond to each criterion.

DATES: Submit Statements of Interest on or before September 19, 1997. 
All proposals must be postmarked or sent to EPA via registered or 
tracked mail by the deadline cited above.

ADDRESSES: Address Statements of Interest to Gayle Rice or Sven-Erik 
Kaiser, U.S. EPA (5101), 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gayle Rice, 202-260-8431 or Sven-Erik 
Kaiser, 202-260-5138.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Additional information, if any, will be 
updated on the Internet Worldwide Web at the Universal Resource 
Location address of ``http://www.epa.gov/brownfields.'' Persons lacking 
Internet access can communicate with the contact persons listed above.

    Dated: August 14, 1997.
Timothy Fields, Jr.,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency 
Response.
[FR Doc. 97-22071 Filed 8-19-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P